Beneath wooden houses perched along the cloud-kissed slopes of the mountainous areas of Son La province, the sound of the Mong people’s flute has, for generations, served as a thread binding together the souls of the mountains, the forests, and the local people. Amid the fast-paced rhythm of the digital age when electronic sounds increasingly overshadow traditional instruments, there are still young people who, with passion and dedication, steadfastly keep the Mong flute resonating.

Bo Xanh hamlet, Muong Gion commune, is home to 212 households with nearly 1,000 residents, the majority of whom are Black Thai people. The Black Thai community has preserved many distinctive cultural features, such as women continuing to wear traditional costumes and practicing the traditional hair-bunning ritual after marriage.